Human eyesight is a product of two separate processes that work together to form images for a person to “see.” One of these processes, herein referred to as the physical component, concerns the physical structure of the various elements of the eye and how incoming light is manipulated and processed by the eye. Defects in the shape of the cornea, the retinal wall, or the optic nerve can impair the functionality of a person's eye and thus impair or eliminate the ability to perceive images. Some of these defects can be corrected through the use of glasses, contact lenses, or surgery.
The second process involved in allowing humans to see images is herein referred to as the neurological component. This component concerns neural processing in the brain and how the brain analyzes information sent from the eyes to produce an image. A person can likewise have a number of defects in this component of the visual process.
The physical component and the neurological component work together to form images that a person sees, or more precisely, that a person perceives. The term “perceives” is preferred because, although the physical component may capture certain details, defects in the neurological component may distort and destroy these details. Alternatively, efficient performance of the neurological component may enhance the image; therefore, the image that is “seen” by the person may not be exactly what the eyes capture. Consequently, the image that is perceived may differ in detail from the image that is seen by the eyes. Thus, the overall process of human eyesight is herein referred to as the visual perception process.
It has been shown that training may improve visual perception of a human subject. These training generally involve displaying images to the trainee.
United States Patent Application 20030109800 to Polat, Uri titled “Systems and methods for improving visual perception” describes a method for improving a common defect in the neurological component of the visual perception process known as amblyopia. This application was published as U.S. Pat. No. 6,876,758 “Methods and systems for improving a user's visual perception over a communications network” to Polat et al., Apr. 5, 2005; and is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,356 by B. A. Sabel et al., entitled Process and device for the training of human vision; Oct. 15, 2002; Filed: Apr. 25, 2001, present a process for training the visual system of a human having a zone of intact vision and a zone of deteriorated vision.
Image display apparatus used in the art for training are generally bulky and cannot easily be carried by the trainee.